On behalf of Governor of Asir Province Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Deputy Governor Prince Faisal bin Khalid, who chairs the committee for promotion of tourism, opened a symposium in Abha yesterday on the topic ‘Tourism and Globalization’, organized by the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT) in cooperation with Abha’s Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Hotel Sciences. Chairman of the College’s Board of Trustees Prince Saud bin Khalid referred to the future of tourism in the Kingdom as “promising and bright”.

SCT Secretary-General Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz delivered a working paper today in which he pointed out that tourism and globalization have common ground in the spheres of economy, culture, environment, and information, saying: “We should never be afraid of the phenomenon of globalization; on the contrary we should open our doors wide for others so as to enable them to get acquainted with our country, values, and behavior as well as our development and our Islamic way of life.” Globalization, he declared, can contribute to diversifying economic sectors, and to preserving a nation’s culture. Other working papers include another on ‘Tourism and globalization’, by Dr. Abdulaziz Daghsitani, former member of the Consultative Council (Majlis Al-Shura); ‘Tourism and international marketing’, by Abdullah Al-Juhani, Director-General of Publicity and Marketing Programs at Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAA); ‘Psychological impact of globalization on tourism marketing and promotion’, by Dr. Fayez Al-Haj from King Khalid University; ‘Future of tourism in the Kingdom’, by Dr. Muhammad Saadi from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals; and ‘Administrative and information dimensions of tourism under globalization’, by Muhammad Mubarak, Advisor at the King Fahd Holy Quran Printing Complex in Madinah.